My husband and I had no idea where to go and what to do in the very early morning (5:30 am), when we walked into a local hospital for his surgery (he had broken his arm in three places).

While we were trying to figure out what to do at the entrance, two elder volunteer women waved at us with a big smile, and said, “You must be lost. Come with us!”  They took us to the registration room and told us: “You two sweeties, make sure to come to us if you get lost again. We will be at the waiting area.” Their kindness made us feel so much easier to be in the unfamiliar setting.

After the registration, at least four people came in and out, asking the same set of questions every time: a technician, a doctor, the anesthesiologist, and a few other people who never identified themselves. Everybody was in such a hurry, and it was challenging for me to follow and answer all the questions and fill out all the paperwork. Really, it was quite a hectic experience.

When I came back to waiting room after my husband was taken to an operation room, the two elder women smiled at me and showed me the way to the coffee shop. They took time to listen to how my husband broke his arm, find out what kind of coffee I like, an show me how I could entertain myself at the waiting room, even how to change the TV channels. It was very clear that they were genuinely interested in helping patients and family members, without any expectation of return.

Could any young people offer this warm and thoughtful service to patients and family?

We should take a close look at what an wonderful gift that elders can offer to make our life so much more meaningful…

The two women taught me to slow down and breath deeply whenever I can.